Basilgirl

Pane e Vino in Lorton Town Center is wonderful. Sicilian family owned, beautiful bar, great wine list and excellent food. The Sunday brunch buffet is awesome - fantastic quality and variety, beautifully presented. $18.99 for all you can eat, includes one mimosa. Check out their Web site: paneevino-ristorante.com

Kettle Chips Krinkle Cut Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper are like crack.

Lidia's Family Table has a great recipe using turkey, but I've done both chicken and turkey. I think the secret to really good baked chicken fingers is using panko. The other recipe I've used for years is regular bread crumbs, parmesan, dried basil, dried thyme, S&P, roll chicken pieces in melted butter then in the crumbs and bake. They're even good cold.

Pork chops with wine, corn fritters

Don't forget Frank's - either regular or extra hot

I saw Michael Chiarello do this on the Food Network - after he warmed them up he sprinkled them with a spice rub

On 30 Minute Meals she said that Marsala was Spanish.

"Wienerschnitzel" (I used chicken cutlets), buttery peppery egg noodles, TJ's frozen asparagus with hollandaise, Veuve Cliquot.

I had some ground beef to use up so I browned it while browning onions, pancetta and pepper flakes in another pan. Deglazed onions with red wine; threw it all together with some Barilla garlic & olive oil tomato sauce, simmered, added a little oregano and cream. It tastes weird, too sweet (from the pancetta? the cream?), and too much like Italian chili

Long time no post. Yesterday I made white bean soup with rosemary and country ham, foccaccia with rosemary, sea salt, and the slightest bit of provolone and mozzarella, and I roasted red pepper, fennel, onion, grape tomatoes, and olives and added capers at the end.

Thank you, Basilgirl! The butter and shortening were refrigerator temperature before mixing with the dry ingredients. I also used heavy cream, on the theory that the more detrimental an ingredient is to your health, the better it will be when baked. Beginner's luck, methinks. ← Don't tell us this is the first time you've ever made biscuits!!!! I'm loving this blog. And now I'm so ashamed to admit that I've given up on homemade biscuits and now use whack-a-roll, frozen Pillsbury, or Bisquick.

Holy crap, those biscuits are a thing of beauty! I live in Northern Virginia - send me some???? It looks like you rolled them out nice and thick - was the butter frozen? Is that how they came out so flaky?

The tomato sauce with butter and onion is.to.die.for. Sometimes I just stand there and eat it straight out of the pot. Also try the eggplant parmesan.

I love the stuffing recipe from the old Betty Crocker "red" book - 2 sticks of butter, I believe...made even better with some Jimmy Dean sage sausage and fresh sage. I don't stuff my turkey, I bake it so the top gets nice and crispy. Leftovers are made into "matzo balls" for the homemade turkey soup. I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. Christmas isn't complete without the Land O'Lakes turtle cookies I've been making since I was 12. And eggnog with Maker's Mark.

I finally found smoked paprika in my "regular grocery store" yesterday and was wondering about your best uses for it. Thanks.

P.S. - Check out RecipeGullet - Browse by Category - scroll down to Special Equipment - Crock Pot

This is my favorite thing to make in a Crock Pot. Get yourself a big old cheap chuck roast. Stuff it in the pot. Add 1 cup of beef broth, 1 packet of Italian dressing mix, half a jar of pepperoncinis and half of the brine. Add whatever else you want - oregano, a little soy sauce, onion, garlic, whatever. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours. Shred meat. Toss back into the sauce. Taste for seasoning. Put on buttered toasted buns; put on provolone and run under broiler. Dip the sandwiches in the juice. Good with fries on the side.

Bratwurst, kraut, potato pancakes

I use it in burgers, just like Mom Also make a pretty good beef roast in the Crockpot, a packet of onion soup mix & a packet of Italian dressing mix, beef broth. No salt.

BACON!!!!!!!!!! What a cool lifestyle...if the Basilman and I ever break up I know where I'm going to move - never been to Seattle but have always wanted to. Loving the e-g romance...I know this blog will be AWESOME

I went through this myself almost 5 years ago (hallelujah! - couldn't have made it through without my Basilman) - the only thing I could stomach was bacon and eggs. Oh, and I remember drinking a LOT of red wine. ??? Probably not the best idea...but it got me through at the time.

Lidia's recipe is the best. It calls for 10 cloves of garlic and a judicious amount of pasta water to make the sauce.

My pantry is ridiculous. I have so much stuff I'm beginning to think I have some kind of hoarding disorder. Counting the actual pantry shelves, fridge, freezer and cabinets, right now I could make white bean soup, chili with kidney beans (my Texas Daddy would kill me), boneless pork loin or chops, chicken breasts, anything with bacon (I've got a TON of bacon in the freezer), Nueske's 10" hot dogs, lentil soup, meatloaf, any kind of pasta - tomato, olive oil based, cheesy, etc., pot roast, egg noodles, smoked sausage, smoked salmon, omelets/frittatas, homemade croutons, cornbread. I have frozen corn, peas and spinach. I have cans of tomatoes and lots of jarred tomato sauces. I have homemade tomato sauces in the freezer. i have a lot of canned tuna just sitting there staring at me. I could make biscuits, pancakes, pizza dough, foccaccia, scones, baguettes. I have fresh zucchini and red peppers, lots of onions and garlic. Tons of cheese. I really have to get going on using this stuff up.

Check out the Spicy Dill Pickles on epicurious.com - you can always just omit the dill. I've been making them for over 10 years and everyone loves them. <small voice> I've been known to drink pickle juice when no one is looking

Shakey's pizza My first Chinese restaurant experience - I think I was around 9 or 10 - any my sister took me and my friend out thriftshopping - another first - and I still remember that first sip of hot and sour soup and my first crackly bite of a fried wonton.